Charlie Boulding, 62, was born in North Carolina. Before moving to Alaska in 1983, he lived in Montana where he worked on an oilrig. He came to Alaska to run dogs and live a subsistence lifestyle. He says it’s been so long that he doesn’t even remember when or why he became interested in running the Iditarod. He won the Yukon Quest in 1991, ran again in 1992 and won again in 1993. After the 1992 Quest, Charlie ran the Iditarod, calling it “my learning year.” He has run the Iditarod almost every year since and won the Sterling Achievement Award in 1994 and the Most Inspirational Musher Award in 2003 after starting the race following surgery and treatment for colon cancer. A fisherman and a trapper, Charlie is married and lives on the Tanana River near Manley.